shutdown

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"shutdown" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“shutdown” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,683. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,683
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of stopping operations; a closing, of a computer, business, event, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-shutdown · shutdown · English

shutdown · rank #12,683 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,683
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shaving

Nearest frequency peer: shaving (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “shutdown”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “shutdown” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

shutdown vs sundown
75% similar
shutdown vs shutdowns
89% similar
shutdown vs showdown
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for shutdown
PropertyValue
Headwordshutdown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#12,683
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “shutdown”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).shutdownlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shaving” (#12,682), “sic” (#12,684), “sexist” (#12,681). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “shutdown” is #12,683. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around shutdown, anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,683 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for shutdown, with forms such as "hsutdown", "shhutdown", and "shtudown". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "sundown", "shutdowns", "showdown", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from shut down. The correct English form is shutdown, spelled S-H-U-T-D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of stopping operations; a closing, of a computer, business, event, etc.
  2. 2
    A statement, insult, etc. that prevents the opponent from replying further.
  3. 3
    An autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the individual freezes up and becomes silent, motionless, and unresponsive.
  4. 4
    A defensive ploy that prevents the opposing players from attacking.
  5. 5
    A big success; a hyped atmosphere.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how shutdown appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. You need to enter your password at startup, but it's not required at shutdown.
  2. There is a plastic molly-guard covering the escalator's shutdown button to prevent little kids from pushing it and stopping the escalator.

Etymology

Deverbal from shut down.

Synonyms

shuttering

Antonyms

startup

This word in other languages

apagado(Español)Herunterfahren(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hsutdown
  • shhutdown
  • shtudown
  • shudtown
  • shutddown
  • shutdonw
  • shutdownn
  • shutdowwn
  • shutdwon
  • shutodwn
  • shuttdown
  • sshutdown
  • suhtdown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shutdown - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hsutdown2shhutdown1shtudown2shudtown2shutddown1shutdonw2shutdownn1shutdowwn1
Edit distance from "shutdown"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "shutdown"?
"shutdown" is spelled S-H-U-T-D-O-W-N.
What does "shutdown" mean?
As a noun, "shutdown" means: The action of stopping operations; a closing, of a computer, business, event, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "shutdown"?
"shutdown" is commonly confused with "sundown", "shutdowns", "showdown". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "shutdown"?
Deverbal from shut down. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "shutdown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Savannah#12,677sabotage#12,674Syracuse#12,692thriving#12,697

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

regulator13 variantstrending13 variantsnostalgia13 variantsapartheid13 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list